Danny Rohl was quite outspoken ahead of Celtic’s visit to Rangers on Sunday, including challenging comments made by Luke McCowan, among other matters.
The Celtic midfielder claimed that ‘no team in that league touches us’ when they are at their best, but Rohl’s decision to weigh in did not impress Chris Sutton or Kris Boyd.
Although Sutton disagreed with McCowan’s remark — arguing that no one wins the “We are the best team cup” — he struggled to understand why the Rangers boss would involve himself in the debate, and Boyd shared that view.
“What would worry me if I were a Rangers fan is the stuff Danny Rohl got involved in during the week with Luke McCowan,” said Sutton.
That wasn’t the only topic Rohl commented on; he also appeared to question Celtic’s approach to their match in Stuttgart, as well as raising points about their goalkeeping situation.
Regardless, Boyd feels those remarks ultimately ‘come back to bite you’, especially since Celtic recovered from 2-0 down to secure a draw at Ibrox.
“There was no need,” added Boyd. “Even the whole, who Celtic are going to play next. You are like it’s got absolutely nothing to do with you. It would always come back to bite you if you didn’t get the result.”
Was Danny Rohl right to get involved with Luke McCowan before Celtic’s draw at Rangers?
It won’t be long before Celtic and Rangers meet again, this time in the Scottish Cup.
Celtic supporters will fill the entire Broomloan Stand for the tie, adding extra edge to proceedings, and with it being a knockout clash, there must be a victor.
It will be fascinating to hear what Rohl says in the build-up to the next Glasgow derby, particularly as the media are likely to look for fresh headlines.
Sutton and Boyd were both critical of the German manager’s handling of the previous encounter, with the former Celtic striker once again raising concerns about Rangers’ mentality, as they told The Warm-Up.
Sutton: “The question about Rangers always comes up is about the mentality. I think Danny Rohl, after the game, said, ‘There isn’t a problem.’
“What would worry me if I were a Rangers fan is the stuff Danny Rohl got involved in during the week with Luke McCowan.
“First of all, I don’t agree with anything McCowan says. I mean, who cares? You come out and say, ‘We are the best team in Scotland.’ Who cares about the ‘we are the best team cup’ It’s about the end of the season, and who actually wins the league.
“What worries me is, why is Danny Rohl even getting involved in that?”
Boyd: “I think sometimes as a manager you can try to deflect away from your team. But we know what this way ends up in Glasgow. Everything will get twisted. Everything will get turned. All of a sudden, it becomes a headline.
“There was no need. Even the whole, who Celtic are going to play next. You are like it’s got absolutely nothing to do with you. It would always come back to bite you if you didn’t get the result.
“At half-time, he’s probably thinking, ‘it’s game over. I can do whatever I want here.’ Then all of a sudden, at the end of the match, Danny Rohl is moaning about incidents. It’s a penalty kick.”